October 15 - Decisive

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 

Being decisive is sticking to right and just decisions based on God’s perfect will. We all make decisions—thousands of them every day. As we make these decisions, if we rely on God’s direction in our lives then we are being decisive for the Lord, conforming our will to His. The renewing of our minds is described in this passage in Romans and in Colossians 3:9-11… you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. Colossians 3:9-11. When we choose to have Jesus in our lives—on the throne of our heart—and then live to please Him, we are aligning our will to His. We become new spiritual creatures. Jesus tell us specifically what His Father’s will is…For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day. John 6:40. Jesus makes it pretty clear that we must believe in Him to have eternal life…that is God’s will. Where do you stand with conforming your will to His?  

Training Tip – How do children learn to make decisions—to be decisive? Just like adults they have hundreds of decisions to make every day. They are selfish little creatures—going for their own desires, like Adam and Eve. The best you can do is help them see options—give them choices that will lead them to understanding God’s will—and seeking it. There are some things that they of course don’t have options like school, church, and obedience to parents. Within even those areas there can be choices—getting up on time so that they can eat breakfast, whether to wear a blue or a green shirt, and doing homework so that they can go play. Discuss with your family the consequences of poor choices—role play some issues like getting up in the morning without complaining so that they can learn the value of good choices. Rewards like five minutes of reading if the child is ready for school early—are so much better than 10 or 15 minutes of nagging. Help them “renew” their mind with good habits. 

Lord Jesus, we praise you. Help us to renew our minds—transforming us to be pleasing to You and proving God’s perfect will.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.